THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 1872.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 89, 22 January 1872, Page 2

THE Thames Guardian AND MINING RECORD. MONDAY , JANUARY 22, 1872.

The Auckland Protection League, having come out of great tribulation, have appealed to the sympathies of an intelligent public to subscribe money to increase the eost of living. They see nothing incongruous in this proposal apparently ; and in bucolic simplicity of heart, they invite townsmen to subscribe twice as much towards their funds as “ country members,” for the reason wc suppose that they would be twice greater sufferers from the success of the League than country settlers. Their ideas arc exceedingly limited. They apparently do not look beyond their own homesteads, or counsel any interest that docs not lie within their own ricketty post and rail fences. The practical aim of the League is to compel the Government to increase the tariff for protection purposes. It. is admitted that the Government have gone a little way by imposing import duties on breadstuffs “ for protection purposes.” But this is not sufficient. The Government are required to go further, and impose prohibitory duties, to “ encourage ” the production of everything in general consumption which can be grown or produced in the Colony. And the better to accomplish this end they propose to establish a propaganda to spread their peculiar views among the people, and convince them that the dark ways of the Leaguers should be. traversed in future. “ A travelling agent” should he appointed; and this dark lantern of the old political lights must be supplied with oil. It would not burn spontaneously, and tlie. more oil, the brighter it will burn. We wonder which, among the members of the league, would be selected to “ go forth ” and enlighten the darkened understandings of the Thames population, for instance. Would it be theerudite secretary, Mr Andrews, whose peculiar style or oratory is not quite unknown nor altogether unappreciated here. Or will it be the critical treasurer, Mr Kcmpthorno, whose letters on the Queen’s prcogcrate “ passelh all understanding.” Or will Mr Albin Martin be induced to take up the proverb of a dear loaf and a scarcity of meat being the greatest of human blessings. Wc should hardly think a gentleman of Mr Martin’s intelligence,, maugre his protectionist hallucination,, would care to make himself more conspicuous than lie is already by his association with the League and let-toss-in the Auckland newspapers. Wc cannot suppose that Mr Every Maclean could be induced to become lecturer; we must fall back therefore on tin?, secretary or treasurer, unless, indeed, the bull in the sharemarket should release, for a few months, some of the enterprising gentlemen who have abandoned agitation for the more certain road to wealth by stockbroking and jobbing. At all events, wo earnestly desire to see and hear the lecturer of the League, and we trust lie will not delay his coming. People are beginning to find out, at the Thames, that the import duties imposed last session “for revenue purposes, bnt in the interests of protection,” coupled with the increased stamp duties, pioss unfairly on them. They are consumers. They produce gold, and gold only ; and naturally enough when they are compelled to pay higher prices for what they cat, drink and wear, to encourage local production they are anxious to learn how far local, production lias been stimulated, and when it will be able to meet the home requirements. These arc points on which this community have a right to be staisfied. The agitation of the League is avowedly in the interests of the agricultural settlers. But a paragraph is inserted in their circular defining their “ views,” which admits every other other industry. They desire “ protection ” for everything. Whatever can be produced or manufactured in the Colony should be “ protected ” against outside competition. This is apparrently fair; but what benefit would accrue were everything “ protected ” in this way? The cost of product ion would be enhanced, the price would be increased to the purchaser, living would be dearer, money scarcer, and the revenue reduced in proportion to the displacement- of imports by home production. Commerce would be depressed, business would languish, and as wc should import almost nothing, our exports of raw material would be uncertain, and freights on special charters extravuSantlv high. This infallibly would be the effect of the policy

of the League, were it successful. But of course it cannot be succcesstul. It is opposed to common sense, and the experience of a ll ages, as to forbid the supposition that it can be carried into effect. Cut it may do a great deal of mischief check'd in time. Through the supmeness of the people, the Government imposed a protective duty on foe.l, and absolute necessaries of life ; and shoeki the public continue tamely t > submit, we appr:liend, another increase of the tariff in the same drcction. The contemptible agitation of the so-caked Colonists’ Protection League wiP In* treated as of real importance, whereas we all know that it is without the slightest influence in the province, and con'd not control a single election. In reality, it is an attempt to tax the Thames population, and the Auckland citizens, as the largest consumers, to help the i , -v al settlers to pay their debts. There is no use blinking the truth. That is the short and the long of it; and we, on behalf of our population at the Thames, protest against any such arrangement. Let us ask what “ protection ” the mining industry lias at the bands of the country? Is it not taxed directly and indirectly ? Everything the miners eat, drink, wear, smoke, lie upon, work with, or handlepays duty. The miner pays for the right to work; he pays for .lie ground, he pays when he registers his ground or transfers his share ; he pays for the right to cut timber for use in his mining operations; he pays a heavy c.xpoiL duty on what he produces ; and if lie travels occasionally, he is compelled to pay toll to leave the field, and toll for peimission to step ashore (in bis retain. Now, if we are to have Colonists’ Protection Leagues, let us have a Miners’ Protection League to “ prolec* ” the gohl'ield interests from coy fi" Jut impositions. Indeed such an organisation would do good in a variety of w: vs. Jt might succeed in removing any of the special charges which presently weigh so heavily on the Goldfields.